This invention relates to the reduction of regions of blood stasis and ultimately thrombus formation in such regions, particularly in the atrial appendages for patients with atrial fibrillation. More specifically, the invention relates to procedures and devices for affixing the atrial appendages in an orientation that reduces subsequent formation of thrombus.
The atria must enable organized electrical propagation from the SA Node to the AV Node to stimulate the atria to contract in an organized way to transport blood from the atria to the ventricles, and to provide timed stimulation of the ventricles. The atrial appendages are especially important in the transport of blood because they have a sack-like geometry with a neck potentially more narrow than the pouch. In this case, contraction of the appendage is essential to maintain an average absolute blood velocity high enough to eliminate potential stasis regions which may lead to thrombus formation.
Atrial fibrillation and abnormalities which may lead to atrial fibrillation (such as mitral and/or tricuspid regurgitation) are often associated with abnormal electrical propagation through the heart leading to inefficient transport of blood in certain regions of the atria, and/or an enlargement of one or both atria to up to 2-3 times the normal size.
Heretofore, atrial fibrillation has often been treated either by administration of drugs or through surgical procedures, for example, procedures which surgically create a maze pattern in the atria which reduces the probability of fibrillation. The typical access points into the interior of the atria during a surgical procedure are the atrial appendages. Therefore, at the conclusion of the surgical procedure, the region occupied by the atrial appendages is eliminated by surgically removing the appendages. This mitigates subsequent problems resulting from blood stasis in the atrial appendages as well as from electrical isolation of the appendages from the rest of the atria.
More recently, maze-like procedures have been developed utilizing catheters which may create long thin lesions to effectively create a maze for electrical conduction in a predetermined path. However, such minimally invasive procedures may result in regions of continued blood stasis, particularly in the atrial appendages due to electrical isolation of the appendages or decreased contractility of the tissue due to the destruction of large regions of atrial tissue. Also, the response of the atria to permanent conversion from atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm after a catheter-based and/or surgical maze procedure has not been proven to return appendage function to normal.
Since such catheterization procedures do not admit themselves to surgical removal of the appendages, a need has developed for procedures and devices which reduce stasis regions to effectively minimize subsequent thrombus formation within the appendages. Specifically, procedures and devices which reposition the atrial appendages and affix them in the altered position to reduce stasis regions and ultimately thrombus formation would be desirable.
An important aspect of the invention involves providing methods and devices to reposition the atrial appendages, for example by inversion thereof either totally or partially. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, several embodiments of devices are provided for grabbing or otherwise attaching themselves to an appendage wall and either inverting or otherwise pulling the walls of the appendage together to reduce the size of the region of potential blood stasis, and consequently the volume of the affected atrium. In accordance with this aspect, it is an object of the invention to reduce the region of potentially static blood and, hence the thrombogenicity of the atrium.
In accordance with one embodiment addressing this aspect of the invention, a device is provided which uses a distal helical coil to penetrate the appendage wall and, thus, provide an attachment for pulling the appendage inwardly into the atrium. In accordance with a further, alternative, embodiment, a multi-pronged grabbing device is provided on the distal end of a catheter which enables grabbing of the appendage surface with the prongs for pulling on the walls to cause an inversion thereof and/or to reduce atrial volume. In accordance with a still further alternative embodiment, a device is provided which perforates the appendage wall and then this, or another member is inserted to expand on the exterior appendage wall surface, thereby anchoring the catheter to the appendage wall so that the wall may be pulled into the atrium.
Another important aspect of the invention involves methods and devices for affixing the appendages in a predetermined position for permanent reduction of potential stasis regions. In accordance with one embodiment addressing this aspect of the invention, the appendages are chemically bonded in a predetermined position such as the inverted position. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, it is preferred that a biocompatible chemical bonding agent be introduced into the area outside of the appendages to chemically bond them in position, without bonding the epicardial surface of the atria to the pericardium. In accordance with this constraint, the chemical bonding can be assisted by utilizing an encircling tying means which may either be formed of a material designed to permanently stay in place around the appendage or, alternatively, which may be a temporary support structure for maintaining the appendage""s shape during the affixing process.
Further, in accordance with this aspect of the invention, alternative devices are provided for introduction of chemical bonding agents into the area outside of the appendage epicardium. In accordance with one such embodiment, a helical grasping device is provided which uses a hollow helical coil, which thereby provides a lumen for injecting a bonding agent therethrough after the appendage wall has been penetrated by the helical device.
In accordance with an alternative embodiment related to this aspect, a separate probe is provided for introduction of a chemical bonding agent. The separate probe may take the form of a sharply pointed elongated hollow tubular canula which forms an injection port separate from the appendage surface grasping device.
In accordance with yet another alternative embodiment addressing this aspect of the invention, several alternative devices and procedures for mechanically fixing the appendages in a desired orientation are provided. In accordance with one such embodiment of the invention, an appendage encircling lasso device is utilized to encircle and affix the appendages into the desired orientation. In accordance with a related alternative embodiment, the lasso device may be of the zip-tie type which utilizes a ratcheting mechanism on the surface of the encircling material so that the lasso is of the type that can be tightened but cannot loosen once affixed in the tightened position. In accordance with a still further alternative embodiment addressing this aspect of the invention, a pre-shaped memory elastic material such as nickel titanium or a similar material may be introduced around or into the appendage and allowed to resume its shape either by elastic memory or temperature transition memory to thereby affix the position of the inverted appendage. Such devices may either be pre-shaped to encircle the inverted appendage or may be extended through the appendage walls to mechanically affix them together.
In accordance with yet another procedure for affixing the appendage walls together, there is provided a catheter having RF energy emitting electrodes which can thermally fuse the inverted appendage walls together.
In accordance with a still further alternate embodiment, a device such as a nitinol mesh is introduced into the atrial appendage interior without inversion thereof in order to form a reinforcement for anchoring thrombi in position where collagen may accumulate to fill the appendage with natural materials which are thus anchored in place so that they do not enter the bloodstream.
In accordance with a yet further embodiment of the invention, a suture material may be secured to the appendage walls, in an arrangement resembling a purse drawstring, which can be pulled together to compress the appendage walls against each other into a tightened sack where the pouch of the appendage is effectively separated from the blood pool of the atrium.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the claims and the accompanying drawings.